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The book is much more than a travelogue. It is a grand celebration of how people live, observed from the seat of a two-wheeler as it whisks through city streets worldwide. It is made up of meditations on art, politics, architecture, and so much more.

A great read, and an easy one. David Byrne is both a pragmatist and very passionate about the issues of urbanism, transportation, energy, sociology, economics, etc. This book covers a huge range of subjects that all relate to bicycling in cities.
Four stars.

More of a travelog than anything else. He uses his travels to input his views on his bike philosophy. Mostly he's right on the bike culture: that more bike paths are needed for safer riding. But we're a long way off of having "safe" biking. And it's utopian to think that in the next century biking will be a major way of commuting. In America and that includes Canada, cars are just the way of life.Take the car to the corner store, buy bigger SUV's, gas it up whatever the price. They don't care. Take the bus: "no way". Ride a bike to work: " Are you out of your mind? That's kiddies stuff". Sadly, even the kiddies don't "ride" anymore. They prefer lounging with their I Pads and stuffing their faces with chips and fast food.

Only about 10% about cycling in urban settings. More about the cities he has visited, the cultural and arts scenes, and of course musicians and styles of music he encounters. A great read. Very engaging, especially if you remember the Talking Heads.